skiing: Types of Events

Traditional competitive skiing comprises four events: (1) downhill, a steep descent in a race against time; (2) slalom, raced on a sharply twisting course marked off by flags; (3) the ski jump, in which contestants leap from specially prepared jump slopes, and are judged on both distance and form; and (4) cross-country, in which skiers race over a long course (ranging from 10 km/6 mi to 50 km/31 mi in the Olympic games) on which the terrain and obstacles test stamina and maneuverability. The first two are known as Alpine events, the latter two as Nordic events.

Alpine competition now also includes the combined (or super combined), with both downhill (or supergiant slalom) and slalom races, and the giant slalom and the supergiant slalom (or Super-G), which resemble the slalom but use longer, less twisted courses that permit faster speeds. Nordic skiing includes individual ski jumping from the normal and large hills, permitting jumps of around 115 yd/105 m and 153 yd/140 m respectively, and team jumping from the large hill; and individual, relay, sprint, team sprint (a relay), and mass start cross-country events. The Nordic combined comprises cross-country racing and ski jumping (for individuals and teams) and skiathlon events combine classic and freestyle cross-country styles of skiing. The biathlon events combine cross-country skiing with rifle shooting. Freestyle events, a more modern development, include ski cross, in which several skiers race down a specially prepared course; moguls, a downhill race in which a score for form for jumps over large bumps, or moguls, is combined with the elapsed time; aerials, acrobatic twists, flips, and the like performed in the air; ski halfpipe, acrobatic aerial moves performed along a halfpipe course; and slopestyle, acrobatic tricks and aerial moves performed on a course containing rails and other obstacles and ramps.

Snowboarding is a form of skiing that uses a single wide ski, or snowboard, and no poles, and has similarities to surfing and skateboarding. Originating in the 1960s, it grew rapidly in popularity from the late 1980s, and is now done at most ski resorts. Snowboarding became an Olympic sport in 1998; acrobatic competition on halfpipe and slopestyle courses and racing on slalom, giant slalom, and snowboardcross courses comprise the current events. A splitboard is a snowboard that may be separated lengthwise to form a pair of skis.

Even newer is skiboarding, which originated in the late 1990s and employs shorter and wider skis that are usually used without poles. Skiboarding offers the skier some of the sensations of ice skating or in-line roller skating. It is generally easier to learn than skiing, in part because skiboards are easier to maneuver. In snowkiting a parachutelike airfoil (the “kite”) and the wind are used to propel a skier or snowboarder across the snow and through the air.

Sections in this article:

• Introduction
• History
• Types of Events
• Equipment
• Bibliography

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